~ Deliciousness required

Tag Archives: onions

I’m having a difficult time writing about this meal, because it sort of makes me want to eat it immediately. And instead, I have something else already prepped for dinner tonight. Sigh.

But never mind my grumbling. YOU should eat this for dinner tonight, if only to pacify my own cravings. First you concoct an addictive spicy-sweet mixture of roasted winter squash and onions caramelized with vinegar and maple syrup(!) This is meant to be your topping, but it’s so good on its own that you’d be excused for eating half of it right out of the bowl. Then you slather some ricotta on grilled bread, add (what’s left of) your vegetable topping, and sprinkle the whole pile of deliciousness with chopped mint and salt. Oh my, now I really, really want some.

This recipe comes from the chef Jean Georges Vongerichten, and is apparently a standard on the menu of his Manhattan restaurant ABC Kitchen. If my homemade version is this good, I can’t even imagine how amazing the original would taste. Go, go make it already. And excuse me while I go look into red-eye flights to New York. (What, you’ve never made a trip just for a meal? Tsk, tsk.)

Heat the oven to 450. Combine the squash, 3 tbsp olive oil, chile flakes and 2 teaspoons of salt in a bowl and toss well. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook, stirring once, until tender and slightly colored, about 15 minutes or a little longer. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, heat another 3 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat, add the onions and remaining teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are well softened and darkening, about 10-15 minutes. Add the vinegar and syrup, stir and reduce over medium-low heat until syrupy and broken down, 10-15 minutes; the mixture should be jammy.

Combine squash and onions in a bowl and smash with a fork until combined. Taste for seasoning.

Brush the remaining olive oil over the bread slices and place on a baking sheet. Broil for about 5 minutes, until the toasts are golden and the edges crisp. Spread ricotta cheese on toasts, then top with the squash-onion mixture. Sprinkle with coarse salt and garnish with mint.

No, I haven’t gone crazy. Let’s just get that out of the way. I know what you’re thinking – “She’s gone off the rails. This obsession with Greek yogurt is getting a bit ridiculous.” I know how odd this combination sounds, and I was actually suspicious of it myself. I first encountered it online about a year ago, and dismissed the recipe as something that sounds good in theory, but probably tastes truly strange.

And then the assault began. It seemed like everywhere I turned, there was the recipe again, taunting me. I swear at one point, I must have seen it four times in a week. And it started to feel like the universe was asking me to make pasta with yogurt sauce. I reluctantly bookmarked it. And the very next day, opening my pantry to find most of the ingredients staring me in the face (and obviously, there was Greek yogurt sitting in the fridge. Do you not know me yet?), I decided to try it out.

Ohmygod, people. That’s all there is to say. This tastes so completely unexpected, like the best alfredo sauce, only without the cream. Or the parmesan. Or the butter. Or the 5000 calories. The marriage of caramelized onions and tangy yogurt becomes something totally more interesting than it has any right to be. I added some spinach (because I can’t resist tossing it around willy nilly), and some chili oil to give it a touch more pizzazz. But this recipe is genius in every way. Put your doubts aside, and just do it.

Pasta with Yogurt Sauce

Recipe adapted from Diane Kochilas

1 lb fettuccine or tagliatelle

½ cup olive oil

3 yellow onions, roughly chopped to make 6 cups

2 cups fresh baby spinach

¼ cup pine nuts

1 tsp red chili flakes, or more to taste

½ tsp paprika (smoked paprika is especially good)

2 cups Greek yogurt (lowfat is fine)

salt and pepper

½ cup grated pecorino romano cheese (the original recipe called for Greek kefalotyri cheese, but I found this to be a reasonable substitute)

Bring a large pot of water to boil with plenty of salt.

Meanwhile, heat ¼ cup of the olive oil or medium heat and add the chopped onions. Season with salt to taste, stir and cook until soft and well browned, about 20 minutes. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, simmer the remaining olive oil along with the pine nuts, chili flakes and paprika. Stir occasionally until the pine nuts turn golden, 3-5 minutes.

Cook the pasta until a little more than al dente (it should be a bit softer than usual, without much of a bite, but not really overcooked). Add the spinach, turn off the heat, and drain the pasta and spinach in a colander, reserving about ½ cup of pasta water.

Now bring it all together. In a large bowl combine the greek yogurt with about ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water, adding more if needed to thin it further. Toss the drained pasta and spinach with the yogurt mixture. Add the onions and the pine nut-chili oil. Toss to combine. Taste for salt, and add crushed black pepper if desired. Serve with grated cheese and ponder all that is good in the world.

This is the perfect warming winter soup. The recipe comes from Charlie Trotter and I decided to make this soup again recently as a tribute to him. He was a brilliantly talented chef who suddenly passed away last month. My husband and I visited his namesake restaurant in Chicago almost seven years ago, and I remember being awestruck by my surroundings. It was the first time I had eaten in a restaurant that required dinner jackets! We felt a little out of place, but the service was warm and informal (a nice contrast to the setting), so we were soon at ease. The food was amazing, each course more beautiful than the last, with flavor combinations that were both unique and familiar. It was a meal we would remember for a long time to come.

This wild rice onion soup is a typical example of the way Trotter put recipes together. There are not too many ingredients – it’s really just rice and onions, which doesn’t sound too enticing. The onions cook for a long time over low heat, drawing out their sweetness. The flavors are delicate, and there’s a lovely contrast in textures from the chewy wild rice, tender onions, and crispy toast croutons. The blue cheese is the perfect cherry on top. I LOVE blue cheese, but I know it’s an acquired taste. If it’s not your thing, try another soft and not-too-sharp cheese instead. I can’t promise the results will be as good, though.

Cook the wild rice in a small saucepan according to package directions. Usually, 2 cups of water is the amount needed for 1/2 cup wild rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a very low simmer and cover the pot. Let it cook, undisturbed, until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 50 to 55 minutes. Set aside.

Melt the butter in the bottom of a 4- to 5-quart saucepan over moderately low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to real low and let them slowly steep for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat slightly and season the onions with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook onions, stirring frequently, for another 15 to 25 minutes, until they are tender, limp and sweet. Add the stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Wrap the herbs in a small piece of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string. Drop it into the soup and simmer an additional 10 minutes or so. Remove the bundle carefully. Adjust seasonings with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush both sides of the baguette slices with oil. Bake on a baking sheet until light golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. While the croutons are still warm, spread them with blue cheese.

To serve, divide the rice among four bowls, and ladle broth and onions on top. Float two croutons in the center of each bowl, and sprinkle with more pepper. Eat immediately.